LEFT HANDED MITCHELL REELS
As a lefty and avid Mitchell fan I have always found the left hand versions of Mitchell reels to be most desirable. A left handed spinning reel is one with the handle on the right side just the opposite of a left handed baitcasting reel. Mitchell made most of their reels in both left and right hand versions with a few exceptions. Left handed Mitchell reels are harder to find than their right hand counterpart yet they don't seem to attract as much attention. As far as rarity is concerned, it is useful to keep in mind that Mitchell did not produce nearly as many left hand spinning reels as they did the right hand models. In spite of the fact that left hand versions were manufactured in smaller numbers they don't seem to have much of a collector following here in the U.S., however, Dennis Roberts tells me that in Europe, the left hand versions are more sought after.
Left handed Mitchell reels can be identified by their model number. To my knowledge, all left hand reel model numbers ended with an odd number. Examples: 207, 301, 303, 305, 307, 309, 387, 498, etc. The earliest example I have of a left hand model is the finger pickup or half bail version of the early 300. I believe the third version was the first of these early 300s to be configured for left hand anglers. Of interest to collectors is that the side cover (or cover plate) looks to be upside down. Probably to save money Mitchell used the same side cover for both left and right hand models the only difference being the location of the pin for the anti reverse dog. The first full bail model still sported this upside down cover but it was not long before the newly designated 301 had it's own side cover with everything flipped upright. I believe this change occurred in about the fifth or sixth variation of this reel.
Although I don't know when the first 305 or left handed CAP came out, I do have a couple of early versions. One left handed CAP I have does not have the model number designation on the side cover but has Cap in script under the Mitchell name and the letters CAP embossed into the main body.
Other early left hand reels included the 303 and 403 which were made for salt water use. The first versions of these reels also had the side cover that appears upside down. These covers were identical to those used on the 302 and 402 with the exception of the model designation. Reels such as the 307 and 309 have the model number engraved into the main body. It was not possible to modify the right hand bodies so these had to be cast especially for the left hand version.
Pictures to be added soon.